The Press., 1887-11-17
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.
VI. .a- Pomona, Cal, Oct. a1st, 1887.

| - sa Pomona, Cal, Oct 2lst, 1887.
 The boom in Pomona has not abated, and eastern people and capital are flowing in very rapidly, building is being pushed to its utmost extent, and yet scores of peo- Eple come and go away because there is no room to lay their heads. One street rail road has been built and charters have been granted for three more. Gas works have been built and pipe is being laid as fast as possible, and city charter has been ap- piled for and will doubtless be obtained. Real estate has advanced within the last year from one to five hundred per cent. and many have made fortunes, while all who had property and have held it have counted the rIse as so much money. s5
 In many respects this wild speculation Is bad thing for the town, as the high price of land will be the means of turning many away who would otherwise settle here, and many are cutting up their pine orchards into building lots and selling them, only to grow up to weeds and mar the beauty of the surrounding country, as they cannot possibly be all used for build ing purposes ill the next five years, and they have already sold lots enough in the Pomona valley to build city as large as Hartford. All classes of people have been drawn into the whirlpool of speculation, and many of the watchmen upon the walls of Zion manifest more interest in watching l the rise in corner lots and in securing the golden fleece than in watching and feeding the flock of God and leading them into green pastures. % I#
 The Congregationalistsh have their church building well under way, making ten, and all of different denominations, We thought these would do for the pres ent, but the Salvation army put in an ap- pearance about four months ago and are HOW looking for @ lot to build tabernacle upon, and last of all Satan came also in the shape of @ Mormon tent and pitched right in our midst with very ready speaker These people will compass sea and land to make one proselyte, etc.
 | The Chinese are now celebrating their triennial religious feast at Chinatown, Los Angeles, and have erected building for the reception of several new losses which have been brought down from San Francis co for the occasion. The three forms of religious belief prevalent in China are the Confucian, the Taouist and the Buddhist, and the two former religions are the ones most generally observed, they having or iginated in China, while the latter creed was introduced from India. The Confuc- ian religion, which probably numbers more followers than either of the others, is like all idolatrous religions, mythological, the gods being supposed to have once dwelt upon the earth and handed their power down to godlike descendants, who acted as rulers over the destinies of the kingdom. Among the most important of these was the famous Flo hi, who ruled the country with the implements of war, and who is at the present time one of the fav- orlte losses of the creed. Every three years 6 special religious service is held when by feasting and prayer the gods are supposed to be conciliated, and the efforts of the people aided and carried to a suc- cessful issue.
 The most elaborate preparations have been made by the Chinese residents so as to carry on the feast on scale of unparal- led magnitude. Weapons made of brass, such as were used in the prehistoric times, with canopies and mattings, and groups representing the doings of the gods, to- gether with hideous looking dragons, are arranged around the walls. The two losses are terrible looking fellows about ten feet high and appear as if the highest skill had been used to make them appear as hideous | as possible Most of the articles were inn ported from China. The services are con- ducted by number of high priests from San Francisco, accompanied by number of youthful acolytes dressed in the most gorgeous style of the homery kingdom. Outside of the building is pole adorned with foliage and pendant dotted with | hieroglyphics. Beneath this the proces- sion halted and soon there appeared two men bearing table on which was placed rice, chicken, cakes, vermicelli, doughnuts and tea. This was placed on the ground and number of lighted candles placed around it, the priest then stepped behind the table, the acolytes ranged themselves around him aud the services began. Ac- I companied by the doleful vail of curious brass instrument the priest chanted mo- notonous invocation while he and his at- tendants would bow frequently to the. ta. ble before them in the most solemn man. her. This was kept up for over an hour and was an invitation to the spirits of the departed to attend the ceremonies to be observed during the next three days. AL ter the ceremonies the procession moved away leaving the banquet for any callers from the spirit land. The christian world look upon these things as foolish and sup erstitious in the extreme, yet hundreds of thousands of our own people, who have lived under the blazing light of the gospel, believe that they can sit around tables and call up the spirits of the dead, and converse with them and even cause them to walk around their circles under the dim light of taper. Which party labors under the greater superstition, or is tale most excusa- ble, leave with your readers to decide.
 St. John, who had the credit of seating Grover Cleveland in the presidential chair, lectured in Pomona last month on the sub ject of prohibition, and drew very large audience, who listened very attentively for nearly two hours, and by his fair and com mon sense talk made very good impress sion upon his hearers. He said he had no quarrel to make with the saloon men, He believed they were not the worst men in the world and if they could change their business and make just as much money and make it just as easy they would change in twenty-four hours. He said the saloons were just as good as the laws that au- thorized them to sell liquor, and the laws were just as good as the people who made them. He also believed that in 1892 they would elect man of their own party.
 promised to write description of 8 California canon, but must let it pass for this time, as the lettef is already too long.
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 Delicate Children, Nursing Mothers, Over worked Men and for all diseases where the